We are thrilled to announced that Professor Alejandro Rojas (UBC Food and Environment/Applied Biology) received the Canadian Award of Excellence in Food Studies on June 2, 2005, at the closing ceremony of the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Food Studies (CAFS).  This important award is given each year to only one scholar in recognition to his life achievements in research and teaching and community service.

In her Award presentation the President of CAFS, Dr. Rachel Engler-Stringer referred to Dr. Rojas as  “an inspirational educator, an innovative researcher with an absolute commitment to community engagement, and a passionate advocate for sustainable food systems”. Among his life achievements the President emphasized his contributions to Community Engaged Scholarship and transdiciplinary integration of knowledge and his vision and leadership in Think&EatGreen@School, a SSHRC Community University Research Alliance project of which Alejandro is the Principal Investigator.

This research, a partnership between UBC, the Vancouver Board of Education, Vancouver Coastal Health, and numerous non-profit organizations involved in food system activities, puts into action Alejandro’s vision of community-engaged scholarship, where community partners and academics work together on issues of importance to the community.

Because Dr. Rojas is a Chilean-Canadian citizen, the Ambassador of Chile, was specially invited and attended the ceremony. He explained his presence there as his desire to show his “pride for Alejandro’s achievement as a an expression of the contributions of the Chilean community in Canada to Canadian culture and the cooperation between both countries